The tragic end of Ananias and Sapphira comes as an anticlimactic turn in the life of the fledgling church. Just prior to their demise, the community of believers were of “one heart and soul.” They shared their resources freely, and the apostles bore powerful witness “to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” with “great grace…upon them all” (Acts 4:32–35). Luke also highlights the Levite from Cyprus named Joseph, also called Barnabas — meaning “son of encouragement” — who sold a field and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:36–37). ^[1]

Against this backdrop, Ananias and Sapphira stand in stark contrast. They too “sold a piece of property” but secretly kept back a portion for themselves and gave the remainder under the pretense of it being the full amount. Peter exposes the trickery, declaring that Ananias’ heart had been filled by Satan, and that he lied to the Holy Spirit — indeed, to God. Ananias then “fell down and breathed his last.” A few hours later, Sapphira is questioned and she repeats the same lie. Peter exposes her deception, indicating she had tested the Spirit of the Lord. She too dies. The episode concludes with a sobering effect: “great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things” (Acts 5:1–11).

The swift judgment that befell Ananias and Sapphira is a Bible difficulty. How do we make sense of the severe outcome of their trial? In what follows, I aim to show how this tragic episode in the fledgling church highlights the forthrightness of Luke’s account, the seriousness of the couple’s act of deception, the exceptional nature of God’s swift judgment, and how this incident calls Christians to self-examination.

Reality Check: The inclusion of the Ananias and Sapphira incident shows Luke’s commitment to providing an “orderly account” to Theophilus about Christ and the Christian movement (Lk. 1:1–4). He neither idealizes the apostles and other followers nor presents the church as an earthly utopia. Instead, he offers a candid and balanced portrayal—recording both the remarkable works Christ accomplished through believers by the Holy Spirit and the real struggles they faced, from within and without. Far from glamorizing the first-century church, Luke preserves its warts and wrinkles, even sobering episodes like the demise of Ananias and Sapphira.

Sacrilege: Ananias had no obligation to give. The proceeds from the sale were at his “disposal,” yet within his heart he devilishly gave with pretense, and Sapphira perpetuated the lie (Acts 5:2). Their sin amounted to sacrilege. John Chrysostom explains, “If for gathering sticks a man is to be stoned, much rather ought [Ananias] for sacrilege; for this money was become sacred. He that has chosen to sell his goods and distribute them, and then withdraws them, is guilty of sacrilege. But if he is sacrilegious, who resumes from his own, much more he who takes from what is not his own.” He further notes that Sapphira “perjured” herself and “suffered” (Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, XII).^[2]

Ananias’s ploy exemplified a heart filled by Satan rather than the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). The heart, of course, is not merely the center of emotions; it is the seat of a person’s thought, will, desire, and intention, from which words and deeds flow. In this, Ananias followed the way of the devil—the father of lies.

The same corrupted inner life likewise moved Sapphira to commit perjury and “to test the Spirit of the Lord” (Acts 5:9). What does it mean “to test”? Exodus 17 recounts a place called Massah, meaning “testing,” where, in the absence of water, the people responded with mistrust, asking, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Ex. 17:7). They demanded that God prove His presence or else they would not believe. For this reason, Deuteronomy 6:16 warns, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” Similarly, Peter indicates that, despite the evident presence of the Holy Spirit, Sapphira and her husband presumed they could deceive and act as if He would not respond.

Ananias and Sapphira perish for deceiving and profaning what had been set apart for the sacred life and worship of the church.

Exceptional Case: The swift judgment that befell Ananias and Sapphira was extraordinary. The fact that they immediately fell their deaths upon their respective guilty verdicts defies any naturalistic explanation.

Scripture contains sobering accounts in which divine judgment came swiftly and publicly at pivotal moments in redemptive history. Aside the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, other such instances include Nadab and Abihu, who offered unauthorized fire before the Lord (Lev. 10:1-3) — very soon after the Levitical priesthood just begun (Lev. 8:1-9:24)— and Uzzah, who touched the Ark of the Covenant when it began to fall—while it was being improperly transported on a cart rather than carried by poles on the shoulders of the priests (2 Sam. 6:1–11; 1 Chron. 13:5–14; 15:15; cf. Num. 4:11–15; 7:9).

The swift judgment upon Ananias and Sapphira occurred at the inauguration of a new stage in God’s work among His people. ^[3] God had become man — Jesus Christ of Nazareth—born of a virgin, crucified, buried, raised on the third day, ascended into glory, and promised to return, He sent the Holy Spirit, through whom remarkable wonders were being performed among the first believers. The pretense of Ananias and Sapphira did not merely deceive fallible human observers; it amounted to a reckless attempt to lie to the Holy Spirit. In doing so, they profaned sacred worship.

More often, God displays patience and forbearance, withholding immediate judgment from those who profane His name — even in ways that arguably may appear more grievous. Nevertheless, the Lord remains just in those rare instances when He chose to execute swift judgment. But there is indeed a coming judgment for all, when Christ returns (Rom. 14:10–11; 2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27–28; Rev. 20:11–15).

Self-Examination: I find it tempting to point at some pastor, celebrity, politician, punster, commentator, organization, or institution as having committed in open public the most atrocious sacrilege, there is plenty to pick out, but that can be bracketed off for the moment. Rather than point at others, the account of Ananias and Sapphira calls for self-examination.  

Ananias and Sapphira presented themselves as pious, but deception exposed them as impious. This warns us how easily we, too, can construct façades to maintain a respectable public appearance—even within the church. While true worship is meant to be pure and undefiled, beneath the surface things can be clouded and dark. Some move mechanically through the motions of worship—singing, listening, and praying—while their hearts remain distant, preoccupied with the noise and concerns of the world. Others exhibit a kind of dead orthodoxy, professing sound doctrine while continuing in the patterns of a fallen world. They live as cultural Christians—present on Sundays, yet during the rest of the week they are given over to dishonesty, vice, and moral compromise.^[4]

But it is impossible to sustain a façade, what is hidden in darkness eventually gets exposed in the light.

The account of Ananias and Sapphira stands as a sobering call to self-examination. This brings us to the place wherein we ask the Lord to search our hearts, expose our shortcomings, and show us the right way to go (Psa. 139:23-24; Jer. 17:9-10; 2 Cor. 13:5). We confess our sin to God, and God is faithful in extending to us forgiveness, cleansing, and propitiation (1 Jn. 1:9-2:2). Mutual support among believers also provides a way to gently restore those who have wandered into transgression and to watch out for each other to navigate around temptations. As we bear one another’s burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:1-3), which is to love one another (1 Jn. 4:21; Jn 13:34).

— WGN

[1] All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), unless noted.

[2] All Chrysostom cited from Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans in A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. J. Walker et al., vol. 11, (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1889).

[3] In the New International Bible Commentary, E. H. Trenchard, indicates that “[Ananias] and his wife sinned against the bright light of the almost perfect testimony of the early Church,” and “God often shows His disapproval openly when sins besmirch the beginnings of a new stage of His witness in the world, so that all who follow may, at least, know His mind on the matter (see Achan, Jos. 7; Nadab and Abihu, Lev. 10:1–7)” (E. H. Trenchard, New International Bible Commentary, ed. F. F. Bruce [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979], 1277).

[4] For more on cultural Christianity, see Clay Jones, “Evangelizing the Cultural Christian,” Christian Research Journal, 40, 1 [2017]: 6-7;  https://www.equip.org/articles/evangelizing-the-cultural-christian/

The first Christians faced an unparalleled crisis. Peter and John were ordered by the Sanhedrin to cease teaching in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:1-4:22).^[1] This censuring from the court posed a significant dilemma upon the disciples as such present profound implications upon Christ assignment for them to be His witnesses from Jerusalem to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8; cf. Matt. 28:19). Peter and John gathered with their friends to explain the dilemma and pray for boldness (Acts 4:23).

God in Control: Together, the disciples lifted their voices in prayer to God, addressing Him as the “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them” (Acts 4:24).^[2] In doing so, they acknowledged Him as the supreme ruler—the Creator of heaven, earth, and sea, along with all who dwell within those domains. Every authority on earth, including the Sanhedrin, owed its very existence to Him and remained subject to His rule. In the face of their predicament, the first Christians found their confidence in the Sovereign Creator, knowing that He alone would sustain them.

Psalm 2: The disciples then prayed the opening lines of Psalm 2. They affirmed those very words came from the Sovereign Lord and Creator who through the mouth of their father David, His servant, spoke by the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:25a). They indeed recognized the writing of Psalm 2 to be divine rather than merely human in origin (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20).

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David said,

“Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against His Anointed”
(Acts 4:25–26; cf. Ps. 2:1–2).

The psalmist exhibited astonishment over the fact that God and His Anointed were fiercely rivaled by the Gentiles, people, kings and rulers.^[3]

Whereas David composed Psalm 2 out of his own experiences as God’s anointed ruler, the early disciples discerned manifold application of the psalmist’s words to Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Anointed One. Thus, they continued in prayer, saying: “For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:27–28).

The “Gentiles,” “kings,” “peoples,” and “rulers” who raged against the Lord’s anointed in Psalm 2:1–2 therefore correspond directly to Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the peoples of Israel who opposed and crucified the Christ. Yet the disciples also recognized that even though these opponents acted out of their own evil intentions, they could only do what God’s hand and predestined plan had already determined.

I. Howard Marshall explains that the quotation from Psalm 2:1–2 in Acts “follows the LXX exactly” and can be “interpreted on three levels:”: its original historical context, its later messianic development, and its application by the early church. Originally, the psalm served as a royal address to reassure an earthly king that the rebellious efforts of subject nations were futile against God’s installed ruler on Zion. Over time, because the psalm’s extravagant language exceeded the reality of ordinary Judean kings, it was reinterpreted within the collected Psalter as a reference to a future Messiah (as seen in the Psalms of Solomon and the Dead Sea Scrolls). Finally, the New Testament authors apply this decree to Jesus—notably at his baptism and in his resurrection, and “the point of the citation is to confirm from Scripture that when the rulers of the world rise up against the Lord and his Anointed One, their attacks are doomed to failure.”^[4]

Three Petitions: The disciples then petitioned the Lord to first ^“look upon their threats” (Acts 4:29a). Recall the Sanhedrin made threats to deter the disciples from going against their ruling to cease teaching in Jesus’ name. 

Then Christ’s followers asked, “Grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness” (Acts 4:29b). Since openly teaching about Jesus would set the fledgling church up against a powerful opposition, they need God to give them courage.

Their final petition is for God to “stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:30). But no imprecations are uttered from the mouths of the disciples. Rather, they asked for healings to continue being done by God’s hand and that signs and wonders performed in the name or authority of God’s holy servant Jesus. Circumstances made it impossible for the disciples to carry out their assignment of being Jesus’ witnesses in the world by their own strength, so they called upon the Lord for nothing is impossible with God. God works the miraculous.

When they had prayed, the gathering place shook, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they carried in boldness proclaiming the word of God (Acts 4:31).

Application: The nations continue to rage against God and His Anointed, just as the first Christians faced opposition when the Sanhedrin commanded them to stop proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. This pattern has persisted in every era since the issuing of the Great Commission.

One of the most insidious assaults against God and Christ has been the proliferation of counterfeit “Jesuses.” In the modern era, for example, scholars associated with the “Third Quest” for the historical Jesus often distinguish between the “Jesus of history” and the “Christ of faith,” rejecting His divinity and bodily resurrection while recasting Him as a Cynic philosopher, an apocalyptic prophet, or a political revolutionary.

Other movements likewise redefine Him: New Age spirituality presents Jesus as an enlightened master or avatar, New Thought portrays Him as a “way-shower” who reveals a universal “Christ consciousness,” and Islam honors Him as a prophet while denying His divine sonship.

Even within professing Christianity, widespread biblical and theological illiteracy has contributed to a subtle reshaping of Jesus into a mere moral teacher, life coach, or therapist—one who affirms personal preferences while avoiding the call to repentance and submission to His lordship. Alternative portrayals, such as those found in the Word of Faith movement or certain postmodern reinterpretations, further recast Jesus in culturally accommodating ways.

In all these cases, the result is not an outright denial of His name, but a radical redefinition of His identity. False Jesuses ultimately lead people away from the living God, shaping the mind and heart — our inner most being — in ways that exchange the truth for a lie.

By contrast, the message proclaimed by Peter, John, and the early disciples—that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was crucified and raised from the dead—corresponds to reality and stands at the very center of the Christian faith. They were eyewitnesses to His death, burial, and resurrection, and this formed the core of their proclamation. When the Apostle Paul writes, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received” (1 Cor. 15:3), he indicates that he is passing on a tradition he himself had received. As Craig S. Keener notes, Jewish teachers commonly transmitted their teachings through such careful preservation and repetition.^[5] Indeed, 1 Corinthians 15:3–5 preserves an early Christian creed, widely dated to within just a few years ^[6] — perhaps even months^[7] — after Jesus’ crucifixion. The proclamation of Jesus Christ risen from the dead, therefore, was not a later theological development or myth, but the foundational message of the earliest Christians, as also recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 3:1–4:31 reminds us that, despite the formidable opposition of those who rage against God and His Christ, believers stand on a firm foundation in Jesus—the cornerstone—who secures their victory over darkness. The early Christians witnessed a lame beggar healed in the name of Jesus, and as a result, five thousand men came to faith in Him. Moreover, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, empowering them to continue proclaiming the word of God with boldness. From the beginning, the Church has remained steadfast in its calling to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

— WGN

[1] Peter and John healed a lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate of the temple in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:1-10). Those who witnessed the man had been healed leaping and praising God they sought out the disciples at Solomon’s Portico. Peter shared with them that Jesus Christ who died and resurrected worked the miracle (Acts 3:11-26). But the priest, captain of the temple, and the Sadducees arrested them (Acts 4:1-4). The next day, the disciples stood trial before the Sanhedrin, and Peter filled with the Holy Spirit credited the resurrected Jesus for doing the good deed of healing the beggar. Despite recognizing a notable sign had been performed and that the man who suffered with the infirmity since birth was over forty years old, they nevertheless ordered the disciples to cease teaching in the name of Jesus. Peter, however, insisted the disciples could not but speak of what they seen and heard, The Sanhedrin threatened but then released them (Acts 4:5-22).

[2] All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ac 4:24–30.

[3] Psalm 2 is a royal psalm. The psalmist begins with expressing astonishment at the nations and their rulers who oppose the Lord and His Anointed (Ps. 2:1–3). He acknowledges that in response God mocks His opponents and declares that He has established His King on Zion, His holy hill (Ps. 2:4–6). He affirms the king as His begotten Son, promises Him the nations as His inheritance and the ends of the earth as His possession, and assures Him of victory over His enemies (Ps. 2:7–9). The psalm concludes with a call to wisdom and a solemn warning to the rulers of the earth: they are to serve the Lord with reverence, show proper allegiance to the Son, and recognize that all who take refuge in Him are blessed (Ps. 2:10–12).

[4] I. Howard Marshall, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, ed. G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 552–553. LXX is the abbreviation for the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translations of the Hebrew Old Testament which were produced roughly between 100 BC and 100 AD and used by the New Testament writers.

[5] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 1 Co 15:3.

[6] Gary R. Habermas, The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company, 1996), 124

[7] James G. D. Dunn, Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003), 855; cf. Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Downers Grove, InterVaristy Press, 2010), 234, n. 140.

It is Easter 2026—a day of celebration for all. Let the whole world give praise to the Lord!!!

At Christmas, we celebrated the incarnation of the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary—Christ Jesus of Nazareth. Today, we rejoice in His resurrection from the dead.

Christ was crucified and buried, yet on the third day He rose again. He ascended into glory, sent the Holy Spirit from the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. God has given Him the name above all names, and there is no other name under heaven by which we are saved. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. This is the good news.

In Christ, we have the forgiveness of sins, victory over the powers of darkness, the healing of our wounds, propitiation, and the sure hope of the resurrection to come. Captives are set free, broken bodies mended, sinners saved, and the dead raised to life again.

Blessings to all on this glorious day!

— WGN

“This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone,” declared Simon Peter before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:11). ^[1] Why does Peter identify Jesus Christ as the cornerstone—and what does it mean that the rejected stone now holds the place of highest honor?

Setting: Peter and John were standing trial before the Sanhedrin—the council with the highest religious and political authority in Jerusalem. The two apostles were arrested on the previous day for teaching Jesus of Nazareth resurrected from the dead (Acts 4:1-3).

Peter healed the paralytic who would beg for alms at the temple’s Beautiful Gate. The healed man stood and entered the temple leaping and jumping praising God. Those at the temple took noticed that the man had been healed, and they gathered at Solomon’s Portico to meet with the apostles and inquire about the miracle. Peter attributed the healing to Jesus, whom they crucified but God raised from the dead. The apostle then seized the opportunity to call the audience to repent so that their sins would be blotted out and they could experience the times of refreshing foreseen by Moses and the prophets (Acts 3:1-26).

But the priests, temple captain, and Sadducees became annoyed with the message about Jesus Christ having resurrected from the dead, and they apprehended Peter and John (Acts 4:1-2). Moreover, the Sadducees rejected the doctrine of the future resurrection (Acts 23:8; Lk. 20:27, cf. Marr. 22:23; Mk, 12:18).

Despite the backlash from those who opposed the good news of Christ risen from the dead, the proclamation of this gospel bore fruit and about five thousand came to believe. Estimates place Jerusalem’s population between 25,000 and 85,000, with only about 6,000 Pharisees in all Palestine according to Flavius Josephus, making the figure of 5,000 Jewish male converts to Christianity in Jerusalem—excluding women and children—remarkably substantial.^[2] God’s Word never comes back void even when there is fierce opposition against the evangelist.

Peter’s Testimony: “By what power or by what name did you do this?” the Sanhedrin inquired. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, responded that the “good deed” of healing the paralytic, the “means” such took place, was on account of “the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 4:8-10). Here we are reminded that it is the resurrected Jesus working through the Christian that good deeds come about.

Peter goes on to explain, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11–12). The imagery is clear: the builders—the Sanhedrin—rejected the stone,^[3] Jesus Christ, yet He becomes the cornerstone by virtue of God resurrecting Him from the dead and Him becoming humanity’s only Savior. Jesus is the cornerstone. He is our firm foundation. If we want to know our true worth, it is only found in Christ, who has come to save us from our sin. He gives us hope and purpose for living. He conquers death, and thorough Him we receive resurrection life.

The Rejected Stone Becoming the Cornerstone: Peter usage of the imagery of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone echoes Jesus’ teaching, specifically the parable of the wicked tenants (Luke 20:9–18). In the parable, a vineyard owner sends servants—representing the prophets—only to have them beaten and rejected. Finally, he sends his beloved son, whom the tenants kill to steal the inheritance. But the owner of the vineyard responded with lethal force. The meaning is unmistakable: Israel’s leaders rejected God’s messengers and would ultimately reject His Son. Yet this rejection does not thwart God’s plan—it fulfills it. The vineyard is entrusted to others, and the rejected Son becomes central to God’s redemptive work. The good news about Jesus Christ is proclaimed, many positively respond to the preaching of the evangelist, and they are saved.

Jesus and Peter’s use of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone imagery is drawn from Psalm 118. This is a psalm of thanksgiving celebrating the Lord’s steadfast love that endures forever (vv. 1–4). The psalmist recalls being surrounded by enemies yet delivered by God’s mighty hand, urging trust in the Lord rather than in human strength (vv. 5–18). He then seeks to enter the gates of righteousness to give thanks, proclaiming that the one once rejected has been exalted—“the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”—and rejoicing in the Lord’s marvelous work in making this day of salvation possible (vv. 19–24).^[4] The psalm continues with a plea for salvation and success (v. 25), a blessing upon the one who comes in the name of the Lord, and a call to worship and sacrifice in the light of God’s presence (vv. 26–27), before concluding with renewed thanksgiving for His enduring love (vv. 28–29). One can easily see David as a stone rejected by builder whom Yahweh established as a cornerstone for a magnificent dynasty. But Jesus Christ is the quintessential fulfillment of the rejected stone whom God set as the cornerstone.

The Sanhedrin were astonished that Peter and John were uneducated, ordinary men, yet they clearly recognized them as having been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). The healed lame beggar stood in the courtroom, making the miracle impossible to deny (Acts 4:14). Unable to punish the apostles because the people were praising God for what happened—and that the man who had been crippled from birth was over forty years old—the council simply ordered them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Peter and John replied that they must obey God rather than men and could not stop proclaiming what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:15-22). It is not so much that the first Christians were antiestablishment and opposed to complying to civil authorities; rather, they received a sacred commission and calling from Christ, which had greater incumbency than even the ruling of the Sanhedrin.

After being released Peter and John reported to fellow believers what happened with the chief priest and elders (Acts 4:23), they prayed that God would allow them to continue speaking His word with boldness as He performs signs and wonders through Jesus (Acts 4:24-30), then the gathering place shook, and they were filled with the Holy to speak boldly the word of God (Acts 4:31).

The rejected stone becoming the cornerstone imagery unfolds on multiple levels. Literally, it reflects a stone dismissed as unfit, only to be later recognized as essential. In the psalm’s original context, it symbolizes a king once doubted but vindicated by God’s deliverance. Ultimately, in Christ, it reaches its fullest meaning: the Messiah rejected by human authorities is exalted by God through the resurrection. ^[5]

Conclusion: Christians are entrusted with the same mission given to Simon Peter, John the son of Zebedee, and the other Apostles—to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ risen from the dead. While God may work powerfully through us, similarly to Peter’s healing of the paralytic, the message we carry will not always be met with approval; opposition is inevitable. Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders, yet through His resurrection God sets Him as the cornerstone. If Christ is the cornerstone, then our lives must be aligned with Him—not as one option among many, but as the only Savior who heals our brokenness and brings resurrection life. Whether or not this message is received, we are called to proclaim it faithfully, for salvation is found in no one else. Like the apostles, we must obey God rather than men, praying that the Sovereign Lord would grant us boldness through the filling of the Holy Spirit to speak His word with courage.

— WGN

[1] All Scripture cited from the Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), unless noted.

[2] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 4:4.

[3] Recall the Jesus also stood before the Sanhedrin and testified under oath to being the Son of God, and the enthroned Son of Man foretold by the prophet Daniel. In response, the council charged Him with blasphemy and condemned Him to die (Lk. 22:66-71; Matt. 26:59-66; Mk. 14:55-64; Dan. 7:13-14).

[4] The New American Standard Bible renders Psalm 118:22 this way: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” Here the Hebrew phrase l-ro’sh pin-nah [לְרֹ֣אשׁ פִּנָּֽה] is rendered “the chief corner stone.” The King James Version renders the same phrase “the head stone of the corner.” Both the New King James Version and the New Revised Standard Version use “the chief cornerstone,” the English Standard Version uses “the cornerstone,” and the New International Version reads “the capstone.” There is some debate on what part of the building does l-ro’sh pin-nah refer. Is it at the base below, i.e. cornerstone or the crowning point above, i.e. capstone? The New Bible Dictionary notes, “The phrase ‘head of the corner’ can indicate one of the large stones near the foundations of a building which by their sheer size bind together two or more rows of stones, but it is more likely to refer to the final stone which completes an arch or is laid at the top corner of a building (so Jeremias)” (J. B. Taylor, New Bible Dictionary, ed. D. R. W. Wood et al [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996], 228). Whether the psalmist has in mind capstone or cornerstone is far from a settled debate. Does this pose any problem for Bible readers seeking to understand the essential message of Psalm 118:22? No. Craig Keener in the IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament indicates “this point is not crucial to the interpretation of the passage” (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993], Mt 21:42).

[5] I. Howard Marshall, “Acts,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI;  Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic;  Apollos, 2007), 550–551.

God became man in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to redeem humanity from sin and dwell once again among His people. This profound truth resounds throughout the Acts of the Apostles. A striking example is found in the healing of the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate.

Christ Heals the Lame Beggar: Peter and John went up to the temple for the afternoon prayer and encountered a man who had been lame from birth sitting at the Beautiful Gate begging for alms. Getting his attention, Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).^[1] Immediately the man stood, walked and entered the temple leaping, walking, and praising God. The miracle restored the body and soul of the beggar at the Beautiful Gate. The restored man responded in worship.

All who witnessed the miracle were filled with wonder and amazement (Acts 3:9).

The temple worshippers who recognized that the paralyzed beggar at the Beautiful Gate had been miraculously healed ran to meet with Peter and John at Solomon’s Portico. Noticing their amazement, Peter said: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?” (Acts 3:12). Through this rhetorical question, Peter makes it clear that neither he nor John was the source of the miracle.

The Problem: But Peter confronts the crowd about their open opposition to the one who made the lame beggar whole — Jesus Christ. The apostle describes Christ as the Servant of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob whom they “delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate” (Acts 3:13). Though Pilate sought to release Him, they “denied the Holy and Righteous One” and instead asked for the release of a “murderer,” i.e., Barabbas. They killed “the Author of life,” but God raised Him from the dead (Acts 3:15a). Peter then identifies himself and John as witnesses to the resurrected Lord (Acts 3:15b).

The apostle then clarifies: “And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know” (Acts 3:16a). Here the name signifies Jesus’ divine authority. Faith is the ventured trust placed in the name of Jesus. Both Peter and the lame beggar exercised faith. Faith is the instrument though which Jesus effected the divine healing.

Even so Peter also recognizes that “the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16b). Jesus is then the cause of faith. The miracle was not the result of human ability but of the authority of the risen Jesus Christ of Nazareth at work. It was the faith through Jesus.

Peter then indicates that both the people and their rulers “acted in ignorance” (Acts 3:17). This statement echoes Jesus’ own prayer from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). While the chief priests and elders deliberately plotted Jesus’ death (Matt. 26:3–4) and stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Christ (Matt. 27:20), the people themselves did not fully grasp the gravity of their actions. Incited by the chief priests and scribes, they were swept into a frenzy, stirred to a bloodthirsty desire for the spectacle of a public execution. Had they truly realized that they were calling for the death of the Servant of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the Holy and Righteous One, the Author of Life—they would never have joined together in the cry, “Crucify Him!”^[2]

What Was Meant for Evil God Permitted for Good: Yet there is more to the death of Christ than the conspiracy of chief priests and elders who plotted His murder and manipulated the crowds to carry out their wicked designs. The apostle also acknowledges that through these events God fulfilled what He had foretold through the prophets—”that His Christ would suffer” (Acts 3:18). Indeed, the risen Jesus Himself later explained this from the Scriptures, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, showing how they spoke of Him and of His mission to the cross (Luke 24:25–27). Moreover, Christ throughout His earthly ministry taught of His betrayal, death, and resurrection on the third day (Lk. 9:22; 9:43-45; 18:31-33).

The chief priest and elders carried out their scheme to murder Jesus, they rallied the Jerusalem crowd to support the crucifixion, the greatest act of injustice in history took place — the unjust execution of the Holy, Righteous, Servant of God, and Author of Life — nothing transpired outside of God’s plan and purpose for the Messiah. Whereas the chief priest and elders, along with the crowds, meant evil in crucifying Jesus, God meant it for good, to bring redeem sinful humanity (cf. Gen. 50:19-20; Matt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45).

God Saves Sinners: The crowds acted out of ignorance, yet they still bore the guilt of murdering the God’s Holy and Righteous Servant and Author of Life. God’s mercy and grace is still extended to even to those who committed such a horrendous sin. Peter thus calls out: “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Repentance means ceasing opposition to Christ and turning toward Him in faith. The result is forgiveness and the promise that “times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” and that God will send the Christ appointed for them — Jesus (Acts 3:20).

“Heaven must receive Him until the time restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago” (Acts 3:21). Concerning the “times of refreshing,” notice “times” is plural, signifying periodic seasons wherein believers are forgiven and restored experiencing the refreshing nearness of the Lord.^[3] But the “time of restoring” concerns the second coming of Jesus. Peter is addressing a Jewish audience who anticipates the restoration of all things according to the Old Testament prophets, thus “The times of refreshing that come as a result of repentance and faith are harbingers of the time of complete restoration.”^[4] The healing of the lame man thus becomes a sign pointing forward to the ultimate restoration that will accompany Christ’s return.

Peter declares that receiving the Christ appointed by God had long been foretold by Moses and the prophets. He identifies Jesus as the prophet like Moses whom God promised to raise up—one to whom the people were to listen and obey, warning that every soul who refuses Him will face destruction (Acts 3:22–23; cf. Deut. 18:15, 18–19). In this way, true belief in Moses ultimately leads to faith in Jesus, and faith in Jesus places one in true continuity with Moses. ^[5] The apostle further affirms that all the prophets, from Samuel onward, proclaimed these very days (Acts 3:24). He then reminds the Jewish crowd that they are the sons of the prophets and heirs of the covenant God made with Abraham, through whose offspring all the families of the earth would be blessed (Acts 3:25; cf. Gen. 12:3; 22:18). God therefore raised up His Servant and sent Him first to them, blessing them by turning each one from wickedness (Acts 3:26), so that by coming to Christ they would stand in harmony with the prophets and partake in the fulfillment of Yahweh’s covenant promise to Abraham.

The physical healing at the Beautiful Gate becomes a sign of a greater reality: true wholeness—of both body and soul—flows from union with the risen Christ, who forgives sins now and will one day restore all things. If the crowds who stood in awe of this miracle wrought by Christ would repent of their sins, God would grant them forgiveness and bring them into the “times of refreshing.” In doing so, they would find themselves aligned with the vision of Moses and the prophets, and through them the blessing promised to Abraham would extend to all the families of the earth. They too would come to experience the true wholeness of being found in Christ.

For us today, Acts 3:12-26 is a call to personal repentance and faith. Just as the crowd was summoned to turn from sin and receive the “times of refreshing” that come from the Lord, we too are invited to turn from our own self-reliance and brokenness and entrust ourselves to Christ. In Him we find forgiveness, renewal of heart, and the promise that our lives are drawn into God’s larger redemptive story—the fulfillment of what He promised through Moses, the prophets, and to Abraham. As we walk with Christ, His restoring grace begins to shape our lives so that we, in turn, become instruments through whom His blessing reaches others.

— WGN

[1] All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), unless noted.

[2] The former persecutor of Christians turned apostle to the Gentiles even testified, “I had acted ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:13) but Paul’s eyes were opened to the truth (cf. Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-18; 22:6-16; 26:12-18).

[3] Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 17, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 135.

[4] Kistemaker and Hendriksen, 136.

[5] Richard N. Longenecker, “The Acts of the Apostles,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 9 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 298.

The subject of being held captive by painful memories and past mistakes came up recently. I can say that we all in one way or another experience such wounds. Our hope is in Christ who can deliver and save us from the root of sin that brings about these wounds.

I believe it is important to recognize a foundational truth: memories of past mistakes and painful experiences cannot simply be erased. God has not designed the human mind as a mechanism for deleting the past. Yet the gospel offers something far better. Nothing good comes from falling into a ditch of scrupulosity, where we become trapped in a pathological fixation on past guilt. While memories may remain, their power to dominate and define our lives can be transformed through Christ. Scripture calls us to stop conforming to the world and instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). Strongholds of harmful ideas are to be torn down, and every thought is to be taken captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:4–5).

Many people today are told that forgiveness means suppressing or erasing painful memories. But biblical forgiveness has nothing to do with psychological denial. Rather, it is a spiritual act of obedience rooted in the character of God. Scripture calls us to forgive not because the past disappears, but because God has forgiven us in Christ. Forgiveness is not forgetting; it is releasing the right to retaliate and entrusting justice to God (Matt. 6:12, 14; Eph. 4:32).

Even those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder can experience what has been described as moral damage and spiritual repair. Trauma can wound the soul, but Christ brings forgiveness, restoration, and the reordering of our inner life.^[1] He does not promise amnesia—He promises redemption. He redeems what we remember by reshaping how we remember it. Consider Joseph’s response to his brothers who mistreated him and sold him into slavery. After their father died, they feared Joseph would take vengeance, but he demonstrated remarkable forgiveness and faith in God: “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good… So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them (Gen. 50:19–21).

We all make bad choices. We all carry regrets. We all suffer wounds inflicted by others. But thank the Lord that Jesus Christ has come to bring us out of the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). Pain is not our identity. In Christ, you are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). God extends solidarity with the least, lost, and lowly of the world (Matt. 25:31-46). There is no virtue in victimizers being avenged by the victims. Vengeance belongs to the Lord (Rom. 12:19-20; cf. Heb. 10:30; Deut. 32:35).

Painful memories can sometimes fuel agonizing spiritual struggles and doubts. Yet even in seasons of emotional turmoil, God’s truth remains steady. Feelings may fluctuate and memories may sting, but the objective reality of Christ’s finished work does not change. Our hope rests not in the stability of our emotions, but in the reliability of our Savior.

Regarding those who have hurt you—especially family members—we look to the example of Christ. We love because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19). Forgiveness does not mean excusing wrongdoing or pretending the pain never happened. It means refusing to let bitterness imprison your heart and entrusting ultimate justice to God (Eph. 4:31-32).

Living for the Lord instead of the past is not a single moment but a daily practice: confess past sins and receive God’s forgiveness; extend forgiveness to those who have hurt you; replace rumination with gratitude for God’s grace; meditate on Scripture and your new identity in Christ; and seek fellowship and wise counsel within the body of Christ.

— WGN

Notes:

[1] See A.A. Hosepian, “Moral Damage and Spiritual Repair in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,” Christian Research Journal, 36, 2 [2013]: https://www.equip.org/articles/moral-damage-spiritual-repair-posttraumatic-stress-disorder/

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). ^[1]

The apostle Peter gave this call to those who heard the proclamation of the good news concerning the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ Jesus of Nazareth, they were “cut to the heart” and cried out “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). The repentant would then receive water baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The remainder of this post will further expound upon Peter’s instruction to repent, be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Repentance: A change in mind and attitude is the basic idea of repentance. The positive response to the good news of Jesus Christ involves turning from sin and following Him. The repentant follow Him and become His disciples.

Those who were either directly or indirectly involved in the crucifixion of Jesus were among the audience who Peter preached in Acts 2. The apostle even made overt references to the offense: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” but “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” and “made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2: 23-24, 36, emphasis added).

Luke’s gospel indicates that despite Jesus’ ministry of healing the sick, casting out demons, and teaching with divine authority, Jerusalem’s religious leaders and crowds demanded his death. At the trial before Pilate, the anti-Jesus protesters shouted out “Crucify Him!” (Lk. 23:21). The Roman governor yielded, the Lord was crucified, darkness covered the land, and He died committing His spirit to the Father. But then a Roman centurion confessed, “Certainly this man was innocent!” (Lk. 23:47), and “all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts” (Lk. 23:48).

The crowds had committed a great offense against their Messiah and Son of God. But Peter compassionately calls them to turn from their rebellion against God and come alongside Jesus in the receiving of baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism: Jesus of Nazareth received water baptism from John the Baptist, which confirmed His identity as Christ (Messiah) and the Son of God, but also marked the inauguration of His public ministry (Luke 3:21–23).^[2] Jesus’ baptism sets the example for His followers. The practice of administering water baptism to new converts continued a practice already established during the Lord’s earthly ministry (John 4:1–3).

Those who positively responded to Peter’s gospel proclamation were to be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ.” The expression “in the name” speaks to the authority vested upon the one named. Those who received baptism were professing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But the expression to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ “does not denote a formula said over the person being baptized, but rather indicates the confession of faith of the person receiving baptism.”^[3]

Now the Gospel of Matthew indicates Jesus Christ instructed the disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Baptism is grounded in the authority of the supreme Triune God of the universe. But there is no contradiction between Jesus’ baptismal formula and Peter. Rather, the apostle is only stressing “the unique function and place Jesus has in regard to baptism and the remission of sins”^[4] Still it is wrongheaded to suppose Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit, as intimated in the modalism doctrinal error. Instead, the Scriptures inform us the one God is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one in essence, three in person. The Father sends the Son; the Son redeems; the Spirit applies that redemption to repentant believers. Baptism, as Jesus commanded, is carried out in the one divine name shared by Father, Son, and Spirit.^[5]

Baptism was, likewise, administered “for the forgiveness of sin.” Not that water baptism is administered for the forgiveness of sin, nor that the purpose of water baptism is forgiveness of sin; rather, the forgiveness of sin is the cause of the administering of baptism, and that “they were immersed in water for purification ‘on the basis of the forgiveness of sins’ which they had received from Jesus.”^[6]

Gift of the Holy Spirit: Those who repented to Christ received water baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. ^[7]

John the Baptist foretold that the coming Christ would baptize not merely with water, but with the Holy Spirit (Lk. 3:16). After his resurrection, Jesus reaffirmed this promise, telling his disciples, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). Following Christ’s ascension, this promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples. Peter later explained that this dramatic outpouring of the Spirit brought to realization word spoken by prophet Joel, who foretold a time when God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:16–21; Joel 2:28–32).

This gift of the Holy Spirit is not reserved for only select individuals within the community of Christ; rather, Peter declares it to be the promise for everyone whom God calls to himself—for parents and their children, and for those who are “far off.” The phrase “far off” reaches across both time and space. It affirms that God’s promise extends through successive generations until the end of the age and that it reaches beyond Israel to people from every nation, tribe, race, and language, wherever they dwell upon the earth.^[8] The outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, therefore, is not a moment confined to one place or era, but the enduring mark of God’s saving work among all whom he calls.

The response was astonishing. About three thousand people received Peter’s message and were baptized that day. The same crowd that once cried “Crucify him” now bowed to Christ as Lord. It is comforting to know that despite the distance we have wandered off from Eden, no matter how violently we have raged against God, that God still sends His evangelists to share the good news about Jesus Christ, and those who turn are saved. They are welcomed back home through baptism, and they are gifted the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:37–41 offers a clear picture of early Christian faith and practice. The gospel is proclaimed. Hearts are pierced. Repentance follows. Faith is confessed in baptism. The Spirit is given. From its very beginning, the church was formed not by moral improvement or religious enthusiasm, but by repentance and faith in the crucified and risen Jesus.

— WGN

Notes:

[1] All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), unless noted.

[2] See post “What Does the Baptism of Jesus Reveal?”  https://lovetruthblog.com/2022/09/26/what-does-the-baptism-of-jesus-reveal/

[3] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 2:37–38.

[4] Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 17, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 105.

[5] “Trinity” is a term used in reference to biblical teaching that God is one in essence (nature) revealed in three persons (subjects). The doctrine of the Trinity is based upon three theological planks derived from the Scriptures. First, there is one God (cf. Deut. 4:35, 39; 6:4; 32:39; Ps. 86:10; Isa. 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5, 18, 21, 22; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; Gal. 4:8; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; Jas. 2:19). Second, God is revealed in three persons, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For example, prayers are addressed to the Father in Heaven (Matt. 6:9; cf. 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3). Every good and perfect gift from above comes from the Father of Lights (Jas. 1:17). Jesus Christ is, likewise, identified as God (Jn. 1:1-4, 14; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-20; Heb. 1:1-4). He performed the works of God and received without objection the worship due to God alone (Matt. 14:28-32; Jn. 9:1-39). His divine identity is confirmed though His own death and resurrection (Matt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:22-23; Mk. 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34; Lk. 9:22; 18:31-33; 24:1-53; Jn. 2:19-22). Who alone but God could predict His own death and resurrection? Scripture, moreover, teaches that the Holy Spirit is God — the Spirit is the Lord (2 Cor. 3:17-18). Peter tells us lying to the Spirit is tantamount to lying to God (Acts 51-11). Finally, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct according to their relationships with one another. For example, the Father speaks of the Son (Matt. 3:17, 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22, 9:35; 2 Pet. 2:16-18). The Son prays to the Father (Matt. 11:25; Luke 23:24; John 17). The Son submits to the Father (Matt. 26:39; Luke 22:42; John 5:30). The Son ascends to the Father, the Son asks the Father to send the Spirit, the Father sends the Spirit, and the Spirit brings to remembrance the teachings of the Son but also passes on other teachings from Christ to us (John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:7-15). The Father is neither the Son nor the Spirit. The Son is neither the Father nor the Spirit. The Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. Thus, there is one God revealed in three persons, i.e., the Trinty.

[6] Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts, Expanded Digital Edition, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 165.

[7] Though baptism is not a prerequisite condition for receiving the gift of the Spirit.

[8] Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 17, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 107.

This post will offer a snapshot of the New Testament, highlighting the central message conveyed through its writings. It serves as a basic outline to assist Bible readers in navigating the Scriptures.

The New Testament is comprised of twenty-seven individual books or writings. There are the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke,^[1] and John, followed by The Acts of the Apostles. Next are twenty-one epistles or letters. These include the Pauline epistles—Romans; 1–2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1–2 Thessalonians; 1–2 Timothy; Titus; and Philemon—followed by the general epistles: Hebrews;^[2] James; 1–2 Peter; 1–3 John; and Jude. The New Testament concludes with Revelation, also called the Apocalypse of John.

Whereas Judeo-Christian tradition holds that the Old Testament Scriptures were composed over many centuries, roughly from the fifteenth to the fifth centuries BC,^[3] the writings of the New Testament were produced within the first century, and very well prior to AD 70.^[4]

Christian tradition identifies Matthew as Levi the tax collector turned disciple of Jesus, Mark the companion of Peter, Luke the physician associate of Paul, and John the son of Zebedee. Two gospel writers were eyewitnesses to Jesus and His resurrection (Matthew and John) and two closely acquainted with eyewitnesses (Mark and Luke). Each gospel writer would have also utilized testimonials from eyewitnesses to certain information about Jesus (e.g., the birth narratives, the trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, the empty tomb discovery, who were all women devotes of the Jesus).

All four gospel writers center their message on the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are generally referred to as the Synoptic Gospels for the similarities in their respective narratives on Jesus earthly ministry, which stand in contrasts to the presentation in the Gospel of John. But all four gospels bear their own unique elements.

Matthew

Matthew has several distinctive features. There is the genealogy tracing Jesus Christ’s lineage from Abraham through David’s son Solomon (Matt. 1:1-17). The birth narrative, which includes: the angel of the Lord announcing to Joseph that the virgin Mary conceived the Savior through the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18-24), the visit of the Magi (wise men) who followed the star to Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1–12), the flight into Egypt and return (2:13–23), and Herod’s massacre of males under two years old (2:16–18).

Jesus’ teachings are presented in the form of lengthy addresses — the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25).

Matthew is the only gospel writer that mentions the parables of the wheat and weeds (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43), the hidden treasure (Matt. 13:44), the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:45-46), the dragnet (Matt. 13:47-50), the unforgiving servant (Matt. 18:21-35), the workers in the vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16), the two sons (Matt. 21:28-32), the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13), and the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31-46).

This is the only gospel wherein Jesus explicitly refers to the “church” (ekklesia) (Matt. 16:18; 18:17) and announces He will give to Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 16:19).

Only Matthew’s account of Christ’s death mentions the earthquake and the saints raised from the dead (Matt. 27:51–53). The posting of the guard at the tomb of Jesus and the bribing of the guards on account of the empty tomb is unique to Matthew (Matt. 27:62–66; 28:11–15). Only Matthew records the Great Commission with the Trinitarian baptismal formula (Matt. 28:19).

Mark

Mark is the shortest of the four gospels. The narrators frequent use of the word “immediately” is a noticeable feature. Jesus’ parable of the growing seed is unique to Mark (Mk. 4:26–29). Only Mark mentions Jesus’ healing of the deaf man with the speech impediment (Mk. 7:31-37) and the two-stage healing of the blind man of Bethsaida (Mk. 8:22–26). Mark is the only gospel to mention the peculiar incident of the young man fleeingnaked at Jesus’ arrest (Mk. 14:51–52). The Gospel of Mark ends abruptly at 16:8 with the women frightened and fleeing the tomb (though extended endings were subsequently added by copyist).

Luke

Luke addresses his gospel to Theophilus. The author’s intention is to take what he received from eyewitnesses and ministers of the word and pass them on to his cohort. Luke intends to build certainty in things Theophilus was taught.

Unique to Luke is an extended birth narrative that begins with the angel Gabriel’s announcement of the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth (Lk. 1:5–24), followed by Gabriel’s proclamation to the Virgin Mary that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit (Lk. 1:26–38). The narrative continues with John leaping in Elizabeth’s womb at Mary’s visit (Lk. 1:39–43), Mary’s song of praise—the Magnificat (Lk. 1:46–56), and the birth and naming of John the Baptist (Lk. 1:57–66). It also includes Zechariah’s prophetic hymn, the Benedictus (Lk. 1:67–80), the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Lk. 2:1–7), and the shepherds witnessing the angel of the Lord proclaiming Jesus’ birth, accompanied by the heavenly host singing Gloria in excelsis (Lk. 2:8–20).

Luke also narrates events from Jesus’ infancy such as His circumcision on the eighth day (Lk. 2:21; cf. Gen. 17:12; Lev. 12:3), presentation in the Temple (Lk. 2:22–24; cf. Ex. 13:1, 13), Simeon’s prayer—the Nunc Dimittis (Lk. 2:29–32), and Anna’s thanksgiving to God (Lk. 2:36–38). The fourth gospel indicates Jesus was raised in Nazareth (Lk. 2:39). Moreover, there is the episode of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple, listening to and questioning the teachers after the Feast of the Passover (Lk. 2:41–52).

Only Luke contains the parables of the good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-36), the friend at midnight (Lk. 11:9-13), the prodigal son (Lk. 15:11-32), the dishonest manager (Lk. 16:1-13), the rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31), the persistent widow (Lk. 18:1-8), and the Pharisee and tax collector (Lk. 18:9-14).

Miracles of Jesus mentioned only in Luke include: the raising of the widow’s son at Nain (Lk. 7:11-16), healing of ten lepers (Lk. 10:11-18), and healing of the servant of high priest’s severed ear at the betrayal in Gethsemane (Lk. 22:50-51).

Other distinct features of Luke include Jesus’ meeting with Zacchaeus the tax collector (Lk. 19:1-8). Jesus words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” are unique to the third gospel (Lk. 22:34). The same is true for the words spoken to the repentant thief: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:42).

Only Luke tells of the resurrected Lord’s appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:13-35).^[5]

John

The Gospel of John begins with the identification of Jesus Christ as the eternal divine Word with God in heaven who became a man to dwell among mankind (Jn. 1:1–18).

Seven signs or miracles of Jesus are presented in the fourth gospel. Four of the seven are unique to John: the turning of water into wine (Jn. 2:1-12), the healing of the paralytic at the Bethesda pool (Jn. 5:1-9), the healing of the man born blind (Jn. 9:1-33), and the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:1-44).^[6]

The lengthy theological discourses given by Jesus are unique to John: the Nicodemus dialogue on being born again (Jn. 3:1-21), the Samaritan woman on worshipping God in spirit and truth (Jn.4:1-43), the bread of life (Jn. 6:22-71), the living water (Jn. 7:1-52), the light of the world (Jn. 8:12-57) the good shepherd (Jn. 10:1-42), and the Upper Room discourse on union with the Triune God (Jn. 13:31-16:31), and the high priestly prayer for the disciples to be one (Jn. 17:1-26).

Jesus’ pronouncement “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (Jn.8:58) alludes to the divine name from Exodus 3:14. The statement also hints to Isaiah 43:10. Jesus even describes Himself using “I am” statements with seven different metaphors. “I am the bread of life” (Jn. 6:35, 48), “I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12; 9:5), “I am the door” (Jn. 10:7, 9), “I am the good shepherd” (Jn. 10:11, 14), “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11:25), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6), and “I am the true vine” (Jn. 15:1).

Only the fourth gospel mentions Jesus washing the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper (Jn. 13:1-20), water and blood pouring from Jesus’ side from the wound left by the Roman soldier’s spear (Jn. 19:31-37), Thomas confession “My Lord and my God,” (Jn. 20:24-28), and resurrected Jesus having breakfast with the disciples at the time of Peter’s restoration (Jn. 21:1-25).

Acts of the Apostles

Luke continues his narrative, drawn from eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, in The Acts of the Apostles. Special attention is given to Jesus’ ascension into glory, His promise to return, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Spirit empowers the apostles and other followers of the Way to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, beginning in Jerusalem, extending throughout Judea, and ultimately reaching the ends of the earth.

Peter emerges as the leader of the fledgling Church. God assigns him a pivotal role in welcoming the first Gentile convert into the Church—a Roman centurion named Cornelius.

The risen Lord also appears to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, transforming the former persecutor of Jesus’ followers into Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul is subsequently sent on his first missionary journey, accompanied by Barnabas. The book’s final reference to Peter occurs at the Jerusalem Council, where he stands against the legalistic party that sought to impose circumcision upon Gentile converts.

The remainder of Acts recounts Paul’s subsequent missionary journeys throughout Macedonia (northern Greece), Achaia (southern Greece), and Asia Minor; his arrest in Jerusalem; his steadfast proclamation of Christ and the resurrection amid fierce opposition from unbelieving Jews; his appeal to Caesar; and the many opportunities he has to proclaim the kingdom of God and the teachings of Christ along the way and during his house arrest in Rome. The historical narrative of Acts concludes around AD 60–62.

Epistles

The New Testament epistles are didactic in nature, addressing matters of theology (orthodoxy) and Christian living (orthopraxy) for the edification of the fledgling Church.

Some of Paul’s letters were written to specific congregations—Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Colossae, Philippi, and Thessalonica—while others were addressed to individuals, namely Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. The general epistles—Hebrews, James, 1–2 Peter, 1 John, and Jude—are directed to believers throughout the ancient world. On the other hand, 2 John is addressed to “the elect lady and her children,” and 3 John to Gaius.

Epistles were composed to encourage, teach, and address problems generated from inside and outside the Christian assemblies. Key elements from the four gospels concerning Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and return are drawn from and expounded upon by the epistle writers. This is especially true for Paul, Hebrews, Peter, John, Jude. Christ death, burial, resurrection, ascension and return provide grounds for the writers of the epistles’ teaching on salvation, spiritual transformation, love, the good life, virtue development, spiritual warfare, the meaning of being the church, and hope of resurrection.

The epistle writers believed the end of the age with the arrival of God’s kingdom to be “already” and “not yet.” The coming of Jesus Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit signified the end of the age had “already” arrived in part, but they still awaited the return of the Lord, resurrection from the dead, and the full consummation of God’s rule. For example, Paul tells Christians they are “already” a new creation and the old has passed away (2 Cor. 5:17) but their blessed hope of being resurrected immortal, imperishable, incorruptible remains in the “not yet” future (1 Cor. 15).

Despite being addressed to ancients, all the epistles convey enduring truths for God people in every epoch of time.

The Apocalypse

Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse of John, is more precisely the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place. Its recipients are the community of God’s servants, with John serving as the writer who communicates the message to all. In this book, the resurrected Lord appears and instructs John to write letters to seven churches in Asia Minor: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These churches are exhorted to remain faithful and true to Christ, though most are also rebuked because of doctrinal and spiritual compromise. John moreover presents a series of apocalyptic visions: God enthroned and surrounded by the heavenly hosts; the seven-sealed scroll; the seven trumpets and seven bowls; the beasts of the land and sea; the harlot riding the beast; the final judgment, in which the righteous are raised to everlasting life and the wicked cast into the lake of fire; and finally the new heaven and new earth, with the New Jerusalem descending from heaven as a bride beautifully adorned for her husband.

The New Testament writers were convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was the long-awaited Messiah (Christ) foretold in the Old Testament. While first-century Jewish expectations of the anointed one often centered on social reform and political liberation for Jerusalem and the land, Jesus embodied a messianic mission markedly different from those expectations—yet fully aligned with God’s redemptive plan for His people. His kingdom was not of this world, and He did not seek to incite rebellion against Rome (Jn. 18:36).

Jesus taught with divine authority (Matt. 7:29; Jn. 7:46) and performed the mighty works of God: giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength to the paralyzed, deliverance to the demonized, and life to the dead (Lk. 4:16–20; 7:18–23; Matt. 8:14–17; 15:29–31; Mk. 1:29–33). He identified Himself—and was affirmed by His followers—as the Son of God, signifying a unique relationship with the Father in heaven (Jn. 1:34, 49–50; 3:16–18; 10:22–39; 20:30; Matt. 16:16; Mk. 15:39; Lk. 22:70).

Jesus is the rightful heir to the throne of David (Matt. 1:1–17; Rom. 1:1–7; 2 Tim. 2:8–9; Rev. 5:5), and His death, resurrection, and ascension are bound to the enthronement of the Son of Man envisioned by Daniel (Dan. 7:9–14; cf. Matt. 12:40; 13:36–43; 26:45; Mk. 8:31; Lk. 24:6–7). He is the eternal Word who became flesh and dwelt among humanity (Jn. 1:1–5, 14). Through Him, His followers—drawn from every tribe, tongue, and nation—are adopted as sons and daughters of God (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 3:28–4:7; Eph. 1:3–10).

— WGN

Notes:

[1] The Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles were written by the same author and addressed to Theophilus.

[2] Many ancients attribute the authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews to Paul, though this tradition never gained a consensus among Christian interpreters. Luke, Apollos, Barnabas, Priscilla and Aquila, and Clement of Rome have also been proposed as possible authors of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

[3] Modern scholars — including moderate and liberal voices, suggest the individual writings of the Old Testament are themselves the result of woven written and oral traditions with their final forms taking shape between the sixth and first centuries BC. I hold the traditional view of the Old Testament being composed between the fifteenth to fifth centuries BC.

[4] A few conservative Protestant evangelical scholars assign post AD 70 compositions dates to John, 1-3 John, and Revelation. A compelling case can be made for the entire New Testament being completed prior to AD 70. See John A.T. Robinson, Redating the New Testament (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1976). A recent work contending that the bulk of the New Testament was composed before AD 70 is Jonathan Bernier, Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament: The Evidence for Early Composition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022).

[5] The resurrected Lord’s appearance to two unnamed disciples is alluded to in the textual addition of Mark 16:12-13, albeit this is absent in the older and more reliable manuscripts.

[6] Three of the seven are mentioned by the other gospel writers: Feeding of the five thousand (Jn. 6:1-15; cf. Matt. 14:13-21; Mk. 6:30-44; Lk. 9:10-17), walking on water (Jn. 16:16-20; cf. Matt. 14:22-27; Mk. 6:45-52), and healing of the official’s son (Jn. 4:46-54; cf. Matt. 8:5-13; Lk. 7:1-10).

Old Testament history concludes with the Jewish people’s release from exile, their return to Jerusalem, and the rebuilding of the city, the Temple, and its walls. The prophetic ministry of Malachi, commonly dated to around 440 BC, marks the close of the Hebrew Scriptures. The period stretching from the dedication of Zerubbabel’s rebuilt Temple in 516 BC to its destruction by Rome in AD 70 is known as the Second Temple period. More narrowly, the span of time between the Old and New Testaments is often referred to as the intertestamental period. This post highlights key developments from the intertestamental era that form the essential historical backdrop for reading and understanding the New Testament.

The remnant of Jews though back to the promise land of their forefathers still faced the challenge of living faithfully in covenant relationship with Yahweh while Jerusalem, Judea, and the wider ancient Near East continued under pagan rule.

Greece Arises: Transitions of the pagan powers ruling over the ancient Near East profoundly influenced the social, political, and theological landscape of the intertestamental Jewish people. Persia controlled the ancient Near East from 539-331 BC. This would have included the time of Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah until the rise of the Greek Empire.

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) conquered a vast territory stretching from Macedonia south to Egypt and eastward to the Indus River. Following his death, Alexander’s empire was divided into four major realms, each governed by one of his leading generals: Seleucus (Phrygia to the Indus including Syria), Ptolemy (Egypt and Palestine), Cassander (Macedonia), and Lysimachus (Thrace and Bithynia). Hellenistic (or Greek) dominion over the ancient Near East, including Jerusalem and Judea, extended from about 331 BC until the outbreak of the Maccabean Revolt in 167 BC.

The Septuagint: The translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into the Greek was a significant literary innovation of Second Temple Judaism. King Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–247 BC) is traditionally credited with commissioning approximately seventy Jewish scholars to translate the Law of Moses into Greek. This translation came to be known as the Septuagint (LXX). Over time, the term Septuagint was extended to refer not only to the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, but also to a broader collection of Jewish religious writings transmitted in Greek.

The other Jewish religious writings from the LXX were considered deuterocanonical (second canon) or apocryphal (excluded from the canon). These writings included: Tobit, Judith, 1-2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, additions to Esther, and additions to Daniel (Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon). Although these writings were read by many early Christians, no universal consensus emerged regarding their canonical status. Protestant traditions have never recognized the Apocrypha as part of the Old Testament canon, though some English Bible translations include the apocryphal books, typically as a separate section for historical or devotional reading (This would have even been the case for the 1611 King James Version of the Bible).

During the Second Temple period, Greek became the lingua franca of the ancient Near East. The LXX enabled many people to read the Hebrew Scriptures in the common language of the day. Consequently, our New Testament writers and the early church fathers frequently utilized LXX in their teaching, preaching, and writing.

Pseudepigrapha: Numerous pseudepigraphal texts were produced by anonymous Jewish authors during the mid to late Second Temple period. These writings include 1 Enoch, 2 Enoch, 4 Ezra, the Apocalypse of Ezra, the Vision of Ezra, 2 Baruch, 3 Baruch, the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Testament of Job, the Testament of Moses, the Letter of Aristeas, Jubilees, Joseph and Aseneth, the Life of Adam and Eve, the Biblical Antiquities of Pseudo-Philo, the Lives of the Prophets, Jannes and Jambres, and Eldad and Modad. Although these works are commonly attributed to revered figures from the Old Testament—such as Enoch, Moses, and Job—they were in fact composed pseudonymously by later, anonymous authors. Consequently, these pseudepigraphal texts are considered apocryphal in that they are excluded from the biblical canon. Collectively, however, the ancient pseudepigrapha provide an important theological and conceptual backdrop for the New Testament and other early Christian writings.

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Scrolls stored in clay jars and hidden within caves near Qumran were first discovered in 1947. Many additional ancient manuscripts were subsequently uncovered in the same region, and these discoveries came to be known collectively as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are widely believed to have been produced or preserved by an ancient Jewish sect commonly identified as the Essenes. Among the scrolls are Hebrew manuscripts of most of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament, with the notable exceptions of 1 Chronicles and Esther. Copies of the pseudepigraphal works 1 Enoch and Jubilees were also found at Qumran. In addition, the collection includes numerous other writings, such as legal texts and community regulations (often referred to as the Community Rule or Manual of Discipline), thanksgiving psalms, the War Scroll describing the eschatological conflict between the “sons of light” and the “sons of darkness,” and various commentaries (pesharim) on Old Testament books, including Isaiah, Hosea, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Genesis.

Maccabean Revolt and Independent Jerusalem: The Ptolemies ruled Egypt and Palestine from approximately 320 to 198 BC, after which the region came under Seleucid control until 167 BC. Under Seleucid rule, efforts to promote Hellenization intensified, particularly in matters of religion and public life.

Key elements of Hellenistic culture came into direct conflict with Second Temple Judaism, pressuring Jews to abandon exclusive loyalty to Yahweh, obedience to the Torah, and their distinct covenant identity in favor of a polytheistic and assimilationist way of life—one that intertwined religion, politics, and social order through the veneration of gods, rulers, and human ideals.

Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes sought to impose Hellenistic religious practices upon the Jewish people in 167 BC. He forbade Jews from observing their law, Sabbath, festivals, sacrifices, and circumcision. Copies of the Torah were burned. Jews were commanded to make unclean offerings upon pagan altars and eat swine. Antiochus Epiphanes even desecrated the Jerusalem Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar of Yahweh. A Jewish priest named Mattathias refused an order from Seleucid officials to offer sacrifice to Zeus. When another Jew volunteered to comply, Mattathias killed both the apostate and the official who issued the command. This act sparked the Maccabean Revolt.

Upon Mattathias’s death, leadership of the rebellion passed to his third son, Judas Maccabeus (“the Hammer”), who successfully recaptured Jerusalem, purified the Temple, and restored proper worship. This rededication is commemorated in the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. After Judas was killed in battle, leadership passed successively to his brothers Jonathan and then Simon, the last surviving son of Mattathias.

In 141 BC, Simon secured Jerusalem’s political independence, becoming both high priest and ruler, and established a hereditary line of governance. This reign of Simon’s house over Jerusalem is known as the Hasmonean Dynasty, named after Mattathias’s great-grandfather Asamoneus. The Hasmonean Dynasty continued to 63 BC.

The Hasidim were pious Jews who supported the Maccabees during the Maccabean revolt. From this pietistic movement later emerged the Pharisaic and Sadducean sects. The Pharisees sought to preserve Israel’s holiness through careful scribal interpretation of the Torah and faithful daily observance within the community, maintaining close ties to synagogue life. ^[1] They also affirmed belief in the future resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees, by contrast, emphasized human free will while rejecting belief in the persistence of the soul after death, postmortem rewards and punishments, and the future resurrection. Closely associated with the priestly aristocracy, they exercised political influence and controlled temple administration and sacrificial worship. Jesus, Paul, and the earliest Christians directly encountered and interacted with Jews from both the Pharisaic and Sadducean traditions.

The Rise of Rome: Most of the ancient Near East, including Jerusalem, Palestine, and the remnants of the Grecian Empire, fell under the rule of the Roman Empire in the first century BC. Jerusalem was taken by Roman general Pompey in 63 BC. The Zealots traced their origins to Judas the Galilean, who led a failed revolt against Roman rule in AD 6, though the revolutionary spirit associated with the Zealots persisted into New Testament times. One of Jesus’ disciples, Simon, was identified as “the Zealot” (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).

Living faithfully to Yahweh within a world dominated by Roman rule inevitably raised profound social, political, and theological questions for first-century Jews. With the Persian and Greek empires now past and Rome firmly in power, many wondered whether they were once again living in a form of exile and whether continued foreign domination was the result of Israel’s sin. Questions arose concerning Roman emperor worship and the extent of honor or allegiance a pious Jew could rightly render to Caesar. The status of the temple was likewise a pressing concern: had it been defiled when Pompey, the Roman general who captured Jerusalem, entered its sacred precincts? How, then, were God’s covenant people to maintain religious purity and holiness under pagan rule? Others asked whether God would send a political, messianic deliverer who would lead His people in an eschatological struggle against the Roman kingdom of darkness. Such questions were undoubtedly widespread among first-century Jews, particularly in Jerusalem and the surrounding regions of greater Palestine, and they contributed to heightened expectations for divine intervention and deliverance. Jesus Christ was born between 6 BC and 4 BC, marking the end of the intertestamental period and the dawn of the age of fulfillment.

— WGN

Notes:

[1] Local synagogues arose first as exilic-era centers of Torah life, enabling pietistic movements like the Hasideans during the Antiochene crisis, from whom the Essenes withdrew in protest, the Pharisees organized communal Torah observance, and the Sadducees later consolidated temple-centered authority under the Hasmoneans.

The Bible reveals to us God’s promises, commandments, and works. God’s people are well off to be fully knowledgeable of the Scriptures. The Scriptures are “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” and they are a source of life transformation, making us “complete, equipped for every good work” (1 Tim. 3:16-17). We are to become acquainted with God’s sacred writings for they give us the wisdom for salvation of our souls (1 Tim. 3:15). That being said; I thought it right to present a few posts offering a basic snapshot of the overarching narrative of the Bible. Let us begin with an overview of the Old Testament. 

Moses is traditionally considered the author of the first five books of the Old Testament called the Torah or Pentateuch. The Torah includes: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Genesis concerns the creation of the universe, the fall, and the flood in the days of Noah. It also tells of Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham, and the way the Lord brought the patriarch out of the land of Ur to the promise land. Abraham would be blessed by the Lord to be a blessing to all nations. This covenant was then carried on through Isaac and Jacob / Israel. This book also includes the account of Joseph, which how Yahweh delivered Jacob and his twelve sons from a great famine, and moved them from Abraham’s promise land into Egypt.

The Hebrew people spent about four hundred thirty years in Egypt and during that time there came about a Pharaoh who enslaved them. Yahweh then used Moses to deliver the Hebrew people from slavery and to lead them back to the promise land. The great salvation event from Old Testament history is displayed in the Lord’s humbling of Pharaoh through ten plagues followed by the parting of the Red Sea. Yahweh also gave to Moses the Law on Mount Sinai, which gave the Hebrew people a unique cultural identity. They were to be a people centered upon the tabernacle worship of Yahweh. These events are covered in Exodus. The Law is further expounded upon in Leviticus. The Israelites also cycled through times of affirming their covenant with Yahweh, breaking the covenant on account of a particular sin, experiencing divine wrath on account of breaking their covenant with the Lord, repentance, and renewal of the covenant. This is further explored in the latter part of Exodus, particularly in the golden calf incident, and throughout the Numbers, which highlights two censuses taken during Israel’s wilderness experience. Sin would also keep an entire generation of Hebrews who experienced the great exodus from Egypt including Moses from entering the promise land, and they wandered in the desert for forty years. Deuteronomy is a renewal of the covenant with the generation of Israelites that would enter the promise land under the leadership of Joshua.

Next there are the books narrating the history of the Israelite people: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

The book of Joshua covers the entrance of the children of Israel into Abraham’s promise land with another great display of Yahweh’s power in the parting of the Jordan River. The people also renewed their covenant with Yahweh, and the men took on circumcision, which is the sign of the covenant. Joshua will tell of Israel’ conquest and settlement into the promise land, but also indicates the people still cycled through the experiences of sin, wrath, repentance, and renewal.

About three centuries of Hebrew history is covered in the book of Judges. During that time, the people would continue to cycle through the experiences of sin, wrath, repentance, and renewal. The times of wrath were characterized by life under the abusive and oppressive forces of pagan warlords. Yahweh also graciously and mercifully sent judges to deliver the people. Twelve judges are named: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephtha, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson. The period of the judges is also characterized by the fact that there was no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. The book of Judges ends in very dark circumstances, wherein a Levite priest is nearly abused by men from the Benjamite town of Gibeah, who succeeded in gang raping the Levite’s concubine, which resulted in her death. The Levite rallies ten tribes of Israel to bring the perpetrators to justice, but the tribe of Benjamin refuses to give up the guilty. This incident eventually escalates into a tribal war, and the Benjamites are nearly wiped out. The final chapter of the book ends with certain Benjamites taking virgins from Shiloh to continue their line. The book of Ruth offers a bright spark of light in this dark period of Hebrew history, as this Moabite widow affirms that the Hebrew people would be her people, and their God her God. She eventually marries a man named Boaz, and from their descendants comes David, who was Israel’s quintessential king.

The books of 1-2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles tell of the establishment of Israel’s monarchy in the days of Samuel the prophet. The first king of Israel was a man named Saul, who was from the tribe of Benjamin. On account of sin, Saul forfeited the right for his descendants to sit upon the royal throne, and David, who was from the tribe of Judah, was anointed as king. The Spirit of the Lord was no longer with Saul, the king was tormented to the brink of insanity, and he sought to murder David. The Lord eventually ended Saul’s life on the battlefield, along with the king’s son Jonathan, and David then took hold of the royal throne. David also cycled through the experience of sin, wrath, repentance, and renewal (e.g. the incident with Bathsheba, the census); however, his life was characterized as being a man after the Lord’s own heart. David also sought to build a temple for the Lord, but Yahweh indicated the temple would be built by David’s son, Solomon.

The Israelites considered Solomon a king with unparalleled wisdom, who established a new epoch of temple worship in Jerusalem. However, Solomon’s heart was divided, and on account of this, Israel’s monarchy would eventually be divided. After his reign, there came about a civil war, which divided the kingdom in two, with an alliance between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south ruled by Rehoboam, and an alliance between the remaining ten tribes of Israel in the north ruled by Jeroboam. Nineteen generations of kings reigned in the northern kingdom of Israel from the tenth century to the eighth century when the nation was taken into Assyrian captivity. Twenty generations of kings that reigned in the southern kingdom of Judah from the tenth century to the late sixth century BC when they were taken into Babylonian exile. Both kingdoms cycled through sin, periods of experiencing divine wrath, occasions of repentance, and the renewal of the covenant; however, human sin would eventually lead them into exile for seventy years. The times of the kings of Israel and Judah are described in 1-2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

Babylon was subjugated by Persia in the days of Cyrus, who decreed that the Jewish exiles could return to their homeland. The book of Ester is the account of a Jewish maiden who becomes part of the royal harem of a Persian monarch named Ahasuerus (Xerxes), and the way her particular circumstances served the occasion of delivering the Jewish people from genocidal pagans who sought their extermination. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the various stages the exiles came back, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the city’s walls, and a second temple. It is towards the end of the fifth century BC that the Jewish exiles are back in their promise land, albeit under Persian rule.

Then there are the books of wisdom and poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. These writings offer praise to God and bear witness to His mighty deeds and steadfast love. They wrestle honestly with the problem of evil and suffering, refusing easy or superficial answers. The Book of Job, particularly, rejects simplistic explanations for why the righteous suffer, acknowledging the present world to be immersed in sorrow, yet one in which the righteous sufferer is ultimately vindicated. Throughout these books, God’s ways are shown to transcend finite human understanding, even as He remains just in all His ways. The wisdom literature also contains numerous proverbs that offer concise and penetrating insights into living well, grounding all wisdom for moral decision-making in the reverence for the Lord.

Lastly, there are the writings preserving the words of the ancient Hebrew prophets, which include: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

Yahweh also promised Moses that He would raise up prophets to speak to His people (Deut. 18). The historical books—1–2 Kings, 1–2 Chronicles, along with Ezra and Nehemiah—record the ministries of many of these prophetic figures. Jonah, Amos, and Hosea prophesied at various times in the northern kingdom of Israel, while Joel, Isaiah, Obadiah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah ministered primarily in the southern kingdom of Judah. Micah uniquely addressed both Judah and Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom. Jonah and Nahum were sent to Nineveh, the capital of the pagan Assyrian Empire. Daniel and Ezekiel carried out their prophetic ministries during the Babylonian exile, and Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi served in the post-exilic period among the returning community.

Adam and Eve fell into sin, and their descendants were likewise afflicted by original sin. Yet the Old Testament progressively reveals God’s redemptive plan for humanity—His promise to dwell among His people, to grant them new hearts, to pour out His Holy Spirit, to raise the dead to everlasting life, and ultimately to set all things right, bringing about a new heaven and new earth. Thus, the Old Testament marks the era of promise unfolding, anticipating the New Testament era in which those promises find their fulfillment.

— WGN